We made it to the Siena train station only to find out that our supposed 8:47 am train did not exist. Turns out we were looking at train times yesterday for Saturday, a totally different schedule than the limited Sunday train times.
Pro-tip: don't travel in Italy on a Sunday.
There are zero direct trains to Rome. We find one that leaves in about 90 minutes with an hour layover in Chuisi. Fine.
Turns out Chuisi is a cute little town so we extend the layover and hang out for a bit.
We took a tour of the cathedral museum as real church was happening, it being Sunday and all. We also took a tour of the Ettuscan caves under the church.
€5 got us both into the museum and cave tour, which we were the only ones on. A really sweet old Italian man in a three piece suit was so excited to give us the tour but since we didn't speak Italian, a younger man offered to give it to us. Old man was sad. Young man also didn't speak English, but handed us photocopied sheets in plastic protectors printed in English of what we were seeing along the way.
Just as we came out of the cave into the sunshine, church was getting out and our tour guide's friends all tried to talk to him/give him sh*t for leading cave tours on a Sunday, but he was very professional and just kept on walking with us. I admired that.
Much of the town was closed up on a Sunday and the streets were very quiet. We found a little cafe open for lunch.
We made to the train station for our 3pm train to Rome. We waited patiently, followed the signage, and got on the right train.
[Boredom breeds #kdubsister photo shoot. Turns out when you're traveling with someone this long you start to pose the same]
Or so we thought.
A few stops in, a ticket collector comes by and looks quizzically at our tickets. "No no no. You're on the wrong train."
Turns out we were headed back the way we had come from, opposite direction of Rome.
Not only did we have to wait two more stops to get off, we had to wait another hour for the right train and also pay the difference of the distance we had inadvertently traveled.
What we thought was going to be a four hour journey this morning turned into a 12-hour all day adventure.
But we had great weather.
And we ate a lot of candy from train terminal stores.
And we read books and napped and listened to loud Italians talk on their cell phones and clenched teeth through riders playing video games with the volume turned on...
(Anyone who knows me knows I truly despise uncontientous activities. You're playing a video game. As an adult. On a quiet train car. Why would you think everyone else wants to listen to that?! If you think I sat quietly in my seat because I'm in someone else's country and I should learn to keep my mouth shut, you are incorrect.)
Finally got into Rome where we encountered a crazy taxi line. No worries. Nothing could phase us now!
Ate one last decadent dinner before the diet starts tomorrow. Can you see the heart shaped pizza??!
EKW
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